MP3 Player Quest (Part 4)

I've been looking for the perfect MP3 player for a long time. My requirements:

• Great sound. 
• Good price.
• Good battery life.
• Tactile controls.
• Drag and drop content like a thumb drive.

That last one is huge. I tried the 4GB Zune and the physical player I loved, but Microsoft shackels users to the most inane and arcane software imaginable--Zune Player to manage the music. Windows Media Player, also a Microsoft product, doesn't work with the Zune. This I will never understand and it killed the experience for me.

Enter the Samsung Q3. It ticks all the boxes for me. Great sound. Only $54 for the 4GB model. 30 hours battery life. Tactile controls and drag and drop bliss. The bundled head phones were also really good. Usually bundled headphones are garbage. Here's a small picture from Samsung's web site.

I owned the perfect player for 1 month, then I lost it in Costa Rica! Well, good luck finding another one. Samsung doesn't ship this player to the United States. The retailer I purchased my first one from no longer has stock and will not be getting any more.

Samsung does produce a similar player, the R0, which is $85 for an 8GB player. I may end up with this player eventually, but I'm still holding out for the Q3 to be shipped to the US market.

In the mean time, I purchased a Sandisk Clip+ for $44 to tide me over. It ticks almost all the boxes. It's main failing is the 12 hour battery life (and less as the player ages). I'll be monitoring Samsung's offerings for now and hoping that the Q4 is amazing and available on these shores.

If you are anything like me and would like a tactile player with drag and drop control and great sound, our options are slim. I'd say that right now, the Clip+ and R0 are two of the top contenders. The Cowon i9 is pretty close to the mark as well. Cowon sound is renowned, but the price is higher than the Sandisk or Samsung offerings.

Thus continues my quest...